Finland says these cardboard boxes save babies' lives - now they're coming to the UK

A trial at west London's Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital is giving new parents "baby boxes" to serve as first beds for their newborns.

Putting a baby to sleep in a box might sound like bad parenting, but the small size of the box is thought to benefit babies' health by preventing them from turning onto their stomachs, which can cause sudden infant death syndrome.

But baby boxes aren't new. They're an established tradition in Finland, where the government has been issuing new parents with baby boxes - containing a mattress, bedding, and toys - since 1938, the BBC reports.

They've also been linked with helping Finland reach one of the lowest infant mortality rates globally; from 65 deaths per 1,000 babies in 1938 to 2.3 per 1,000 in 2015, according to figures from the World Health Organisation cited in the press release.

The first trial of the boxes in the UK - organised by the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and The Baby Box Co., a global company which sells baby boxes, baby products, and educational resources - will give 800 boxes to new parents in the hope of lowering Britain's infant mortality rate, with 4.19 deaths occurring per 1,000 babies.

"My inspiration came from seeing the need for new parents and seeing the potential in what The Baby Box Co. could do," Dr. Karen Joash, the obstetrician leading the trial, told Business Insider over email. "Seeing the results in Finland I hoped it would be possible to replicate them in the UK on a large scale."

Parents who participate in the trial will be given a resilient cardboard box equipped with a firm foam mattress, a waterproof mattress cover, cotton sheets, and educational materials, according to a press release from The Baby Box Co.

To determine the boxes' success, parents will complete a questionnaire about the box, while the babies' progress will be monitored by the Trust over eight months.

"The rule of thumb is that when a child is strong enough to pull himself/herself up independently, the Baby Box should be retired," Jennifer Clary, CEO of The Baby Box Co. told Business Insider.

"We anticipate some parents will initially react with surprise," Clary said. "But we believe that given the significant history and data to support the safety of Baby Boxes for infant sleep, that our product will ultimately be well received and prove highly useful for UK families."

In addition to safeguarding babies from SIDS, Clary says the boxes - which are available in five varieties with prices beginning at £52.49 - are "eco-friendly, chemical free" and help breastfeeding mothers who can keep their babies close to them during the night without bed-sharing.

"They also do not require any assembly, which is noteworthy from a health standpoint," she said. "Incidences of playpens and cribs collapsing due to misassembly and/or parts becoming lost in transit is responsible for numerous infant injuries annually."

The UK trial follows a successful response in the US. "In the first US-based survey we conducted, 40% of parents said they wouldn't put their child to sleep in a box," Clary said. "When we followed up with those parents 3 months later, approximately 80% were utilizing the Baby Box as a primary sleep space for their child."

The UK is the third-biggest market for The Baby Box Co., which launched in 2014 with headquarters in California, US, and has offices in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. The company also ships to 52 countries worldwide.

Changing parents' mentality toward the boxes isn't the company's priority, though. For Clary, the concept of baby boxes goes well beyond the physical box itself.

"Our company is not just a box manufacturer and we do not take the stand that Baby Boxes are in and of themselves magical with the ability to unilaterally improve healthcare," she said. To really make a difference, the CEO said the boxes need to be integrated into communities where parents are being provided with "vital healthcare and education sooner."

To make this happen, the company runs an educational program called The Baby Box University, with the help of established medical professionals.

But the baby box is what's raising the company's profile. "We are on track to have a million Baby Box units in circulation by the end of 2016," Clary said. She estimates that the company will have five million units in circulation by the end of 2017.

The Baby Box Co. has plans to trial baby boxes in other UK hospitals, including North Middlesex Hospital, Halton Borough, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, Hillingdon Hospital, and Blackpool.